Textbook-Integrated Guide to Educational Resources

TIGER

Calorimeter, Coffee Cup (ChemPages Lab)John W. Moore, Jerrold J. Jacobsen, Joe L. MarchCalorimeter, Coffee Cup: this is a resource in the collection "ChemPages Laboratory Resources". A coffee cup calorimeter is a useful, simple device that can be used to measure the temperature change that accompanies a reaction. A Styrofoam cup is used because it is a good insulator. The cup will absorb (or supply) negligible amounts of heat during most General Chemistry experiments. Thus, any change in temperature is assumed to be due only to the reaction, and the heat transferred in the reaction may be calculated. The ChemPages Laboratory Resources are a set of web pages that include text, images, video, and self check questions. The topics included are those that are commonly encountered in the first-year chemistry laboratory. They have been put together for use as both a pre-laboratory preparation tool and an in-laboratory reference source.

Molecular Model of ZinconWilliam F. ColemanThe Featured Molecules this month are the tautomeric forms of the colorimetric reagent zincon, used in the paper by Maria Mar Areco, Maria dos Santos Afonso, and Erika Valdman on the bioabsorption of zinc, and by extension other metal ions, by seaweed. The structures presented have been calculated at the DFT/6-31G(d) level using the B3LYP functional. These structures represent energy minima, but not necessarily global minima. The structures could be used as an introduction to the concept of tautomerism, with students being asked to develop a definition of the term based on their observations of the difference(s) in linkage in the two forms. An intramolecular hydrogen bond is found in each structure, and introductory chemistry students could be encouraged to look for these structural features in molecules that are more complex than those typically encountered to introduce hydrogen bonding. More advanced students could use computational techniques to explore the energy differences between the two forms, and compare those differences to the ones observed between more traditional keto/enol examples.

Calorimetry / Thermochemistry |

Water / Water Chemistry |

Biological Cells

General Chemistry Multimedia ProblemsDavid M. WhisnantGeneral Chemistry Multimedia Problems ask students questions about experiments they see presented using videos and images. The questions asked apply concepts from different parts of an introductory course, encouraging students to decompartmentalize the material.